Chapter 7 - The Secret Lover
Adrian’s jaw set into stone. He immediately opened the bottom drawer of his desk, retrieved a sleek black semi-automatic pistol, and racked the slide.
"Stay here, Emma. Lock the study doors from the inside," Adrian ordered, his eyes darting toward the hallway.
"Adrian, wait!" Emma stood up, ignoring the sharp throb in her knee. "Julian is in jail. Vanessa is in police custody at the precinct. Who broke in?"
"The person who supplied the laser cutter," Adrian said grimly. "Julian was an idiot who couldn't balance a spreadsheet without help, let alone bypass the encrypted security protocols of my vehicle. There was a third person."
A floorboard creaked directly above them.
The sound came from the master suite—Adrian’s private bedroom, where his personal safe and central server were located.
Instead of waiting, Emma grabbed a heavy brass fire poker from the hearth. "I'm coming with you."
"Emma—"
"You spent seven months pretending you couldn't walk," she hissed, limping past him toward the door. "I'm not pretending to be useless. Let’s go."
Adrian cursed under his breath, but a flicker of fierce admiration flashed in his eyes. He motioned for her to stay behind him as they slipped into the dimly lit corridor.
The manor was swallowed in darkness, save for the occasional flash of lightning illuminating the tall arched windows. They climbed the back servant stairs, avoiding the grand marble staircase that had almost become Adrian’s grave the night before.
At the end of the second-floor gallery, the door to the master suite stood slightly ajar. A faint beam of a flashlight darted across the ceiling.
Adrian pressed his back against the wall, raised his weapon, and kicked the door wide open.
May you like
"Freeze!" he commanded.
The beam of light snapped directly onto Adrian’s eyes, blinding him for a split second. A loud gunshot cracked through the room, the bullet shattering the wooden frame inches from Adrian’s ear.
